6. Bilbo Sleeping In And Running Off
A humorous part of the books opening, Bilbo falls asleep to the dwarves talking and singing, and wakes up with the company gone (leaving, of course, their mess). Bilbo begins cleaning up until Gandalf shows up and points out a note the dwarves left indicating they would wait for Bilbo at an inn nearby. Flustered, Bilbo rushes off without a proper hobbitish preparation for a journey. This is a great mix of stress and humor that simultaneously highlights Bilbos unsuitability for the adventure and his hidden strengths. Sleeping in and feeling a sense of relief that the dwarves had gone are a bit out of character for a hero. At the same time, Bilbos willingness to rush off after the dwarves shows his resilience and devotion to duty. It would be rather easy to leave this out, maybe have Bilbo leave nervously with the dwarves in the morning. But keeping it in would be so much better.